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WELLINGTON, Dec. 5 (AP) — New Zealand is launching a broad inquiry into whether it made the right decisions in its fight against COVID-19 and how it could better prepare for future pandemics. Prepare.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that the coronavirus posed the greatest threat to the country’s health and economy since World War II.
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She said now was the right time to review the government’s response with the highest level of independent inquiry.
One of the questions is whether New Zealand initially took the right approach by imposing strict lockdown and border quarantine restrictions in an attempt to stamp out the virus entirely.
The zero-tolerance strategy was initially hailed as a success internationally, as New Zealand’s death rate remained well below most other countries and people were able to go about their lives as usual.
But over time, as the economic and social costs mount, the shortcomings of the elimination approach become more apparent. Some citizens have faced significant delays returning home due to bottlenecks at border quarantine facilities.
The government finally backed away from eliminating the virus in October 2021, as new and more contagious variants proved unstoppable and people had a chance to get vaccinated.
China is one of the few countries that continues to pursue a zero-tolerance policy. Experts say the approach is unsustainable in the long run and China has no exit strategy.
The New Zealand royal commission will be led by Australian epidemiologist and professor Tony Blakely. It has 17 months from early next year to research and prepare a detailed report.
Ardern said detailing what role its response played in helping the country survive future pandemics was crucial.
“We didn’t have a playbook for managing COVID, but as a country we came together in extraordinary ways and we literally saved lives and livelihoods,” she said.
COVID-19 Response Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said one of the lessons was that having prescriptive pandemic plans, such as New Zealand’s flu-based plans before COVID-19, didn’t help much.
“I think the lesson has been learned that just looking at one faulty signature doesn’t solve the problem,” Verrall said.
“You have to look broader.” (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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